Umbrella



April 1, 1930.

W. S. TIMBLIN UMBRELLA Filed Nov. 28; 1927 3 Sheets-Sheet l w. s. TIMBLIN UMBRELLA April 1,- 1930.

3 SheetS-Sheet 2 Filed NOV. 28, 1927 W. S. TIMBLIN April 1, 1930.

UMBRELLA s Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Nov. 28, 1927 Patented Apr. 1, 1930 UNITED STATES PATENT oFrlca WIIILIAI S. TIHBLIN, RIVER FOREST, ILLINOIS UMBRELLA.

Application filed November 88, 1987.

This invention relates tonew and'useful improvements in umbrellas more articularly to that type suitable for manu acture and sale at a low price for emergency pur oses.

,6 This invention has for one of its 0 jects the revision of an improved emergency umbre a which may be manufactured at a low cost, is compact when folded and takes a preferably substantially rectangular form when 1 folded. Such an article may be readily deposited in a coin-operated dispensing machine ready for delivery therefrom as required, the article being in such form that it may be quickly and readily opened for use as desired.

Other objects of this invention reside in the provision of an improved umbrella formed of a substantially rectangular sheet of material having integral reinforcing ortions forming the ribs; the provision 0 an improved umbrella including a top ortion and integrally formed reinforcing ri 5, said ribs being so formed as to facilitate opening and closing of the umbrella, and affording a substantially rectangular structure when folded; and an improved umbrella of the character referred to incorporating therein an improved handle construction whlch serves to extend. the umbrella for use and also to retain the same in such spread or extended position.

This invention also contemplates an improved method of cutting and assembling flexible materials'for the purpose of forming the umbrella whereby the manufacture of the article is facilitated.

For the purpose of making clearto those skilled in the art the improvements in the present invention, reference may be had in this connection to the subject matter of my co-pending application Serial No. 163,667, the invention of the present application being, in some respects, an alternative or modified form of the same.

The foregoing and such other objects and advantages as may appear or be pointed out as this description proceeds are attained in the structure shown in the drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a bottom plan view of an umat this point b Serial No. 286,058.

brella including the improvements of this invention.

Figure 2 is a transverse sectional view taken on the line 2-2 of Figure 1 lookingin the direction indicated by the arrows.

Figure 3 is an elevational view from one edge illustrating the umbrella in position to be opened;

Figure 4 is a plan view of the same.

Fi ure 5 is a plan view of a sheet of material from which the umbrella is formed.

Figure 6 is a perspective view illustrating one method of assembling the parts of the umbrella.

Figure 7 is a (perspective view of the article closed or folde t Figure 8 is a sectional view taken on the line 88 of Figure 1 looking in the direction indicated by the arrows.

Figure 9 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view of the handle pivot construction.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, reference first may be had to Figures 1 and 2 which show the umbrella extended for use, and it will be observed that the article includes a foldin top portion 5 defined by a plurality of flexi le sections 6, 6, these sections being joined together by the provision of radial ribs or reinforcing portions 7, 7

The reinforcing portions 7 extend to the center of the top, as at 8, and are gathered adhesively connected portions and by t e operation of the handle members 9 and 10 as will hereinafter appear in detail.

It will be observed from an inspection of Figures 1 and 7 that the reinforcing ribs are divided substantially into two groups by the construction, as will hereinafter appear, so that when folded not in use the sections 6 are nested into two groups, designated generally as A and B in Figures 1 and '7 which groups are spread or divided along the line indicated at G in Figures 1, 3, 4 and 7,

In the construction of the umbrella, I employ a plurality of substantially rectangular sheets of material best shown in Figures 5 and 6.- In Figure 5 the rectangular sheet is its lon 'tudinal axis, as at 12, so as to permit of fol g alon this axis to form the two portions 13, 13 an 14, 14 which, when the umbrella is spread, correspond each to one of the spans or sections 6 as s own in Figurel.

The sheet 11 is provided with dis. onal scorings 15, 15, 16, 16 which cross eac other at the longitudinal axis 12, as indicated at 17 in Figures 5 and 6. This is the ap roximate theoretical center of the umbrella, th when in the form shown in Figure 6 and in the form shown in Figure 1, as it is about this point that said sections will be joined by folding the complete stack on itself as shown in Fi re 7 That is, assuming thatthere are five sections, such as 28, arranged on each side of the longitudinal axis of the bottom member 27 and the bottom member itself forming the eleventh section, it will be seen that when the five sections on each side of the axis 12 are adhesivel connected the complete two ou s ma t us be folded on the line 30 and t ere y a esively connect their respective adhesivel coated portions 24 and 25 as deall of the sections converge or expand or unib d a It ill b s n from Figure fold.

The scorin s 15 and 16' define a substantially trian ar area on the sheet designated 18, and, similarly, the scorings 16 and 15' define a substantially triangular area 19. -When the sheet is thus scored or otherwise marked so as to be susceptible of folding along the lines indicated, a plurality of other sheets are similarly formed. I have found that in an umbrella of dimensions of approximately 34 inches diameter, eleven sheets of material will sufiice to provide a complete circular top with an adequate number of reinforcing ribs to render the article satisfactorily serviceable.

These sheets may be then placed in superposed relationship and all uniformli cut with the recesses indicated at 21, 21 in igures 5 and 6 by removing a portion of the material in the areas 18 and 19 along the lines 22, 22 and 23, 23. After this has been done a coating of a suitable adhesive is applied to the remaining areasindicated at 24, 2A and 25, 25 and 26, 26, these being shaded in Figure 6 to indicate the adhesively coated portions. After thus being coated, the sheets are placed one upon the other in registration so that their contiguous adhesivgllf coated portions 24, 25 and 26 will be fir connected. Such assembly is shown in igure 6 wherein two of the sheets are shown. The sheet shown on the bottom of Fi re 6, and for convenience designated 27, is t e bottom sheet of the stack and will, therefore, be the sheet appearing at the top of Figure 7 and designated 27, this sheet extending uninterruptedly alon the bottom of the stack. The intervening s eets, one of which is designated for convenience in Figure 6 as 28, are folded upon themselves along their longitudinal axes, that is, along the line 12 as shownin F i res 5, 6 and 7. The folded sections are p aced in reverse order, as will appear from Figure 7, with their respective lon itudinal axes upon which they have been foldid in abutting relation as shown at 29 in Fi re 7. When the required number of sheets ave been stacked and adhesively connected, the complete stack is bent upon itself along the dotted line indicated at 30 in Figures 5 and 6.so that the adhesively coated portions 24 and 25 of each of the uppermost folded sections and the contiguous alves of the adhesively coated portions 26 of 4 that the two groups A and B which are of course, the combined half sections folded as described, are connected finally as at D and E in Figure 4 so that there are ten intervening foldable sections 6 between the two folded parts of the member 27 which itself forms two additional sections which, upon inspection of Figure 1 will be seen to be substantially diametrically op osite each other when the umbrella is sprea or extended for use. The adhesively connected portions 24, 25 and 26 form reinforcing ribs 7 when assembled and as they are of multiple ply materigl1 they possess considerable strength and ri 't poii an inspection of Figpre 2 it will be observed that b recessing t e edges of the sheets employe in forming this article the reinforcing ribs have portions 7 thereof which are substantially parallel to their top margins 8 from the middle portion of the section to the outer edge and that reinforcing webs 8 afforded by adhesively coated portions 26 are provided adjacent to the center of theumbrella. These recesses thus provided afiord head room under the umbrella which is an advantage in some respects over the form shown in my co-pending application referred to.

When spread, thetwo sections A and B are bent along the line indicated at 17 or C by spreading the two sections A and B apart, as shown in Figures 3 and 4, so as to bring the edges F and G of the two groups A and B into abutment. In order to maintain the umbrella extended, I provide the handles 9 and 10 which latter are pivoted, as at 9 and 10, respectively, at the middle portions of the two groups A and B between adjacent ribs 7.

In Figure 9 it will be observed that I reinforce this pivot joint by the provision of a separate U-shaped strip 35 of flexible material which is adhesively connected at 36 olded Ill and 37 to said adjacent ribs. A fastening and may cause a weakening of the same. The center of the top to their medial portions and contour of the handle is such, as indicated parallel with the top from their medial porat 9 and 10 in Figure 2, that these handles tions to the outer ends thereof.

overlap and thus may be grasped readily in In testimony whereof I have hereunto one hand and tend to hold the umbrella in signed my name.

extended position.

I desire to emphasize the fact that the dimensions of each of the sections 6 is such that these sections have a curved slope upwardly, as indicated at Figure 8 when extended, so that this lends to the appearance of the umbrella and also prevents placing any appreciable stretching strain on the outer portions of these sections where they are most likely to be subjected to wind pressure in use. It will be understood, or course, that the material from which the umbrella is formed may be of a Waterproof nature and that the adhesive employed may be any of the Waterproof type now readily obtainable in the open market.

Having thus described my invention and illustrated its use, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. An umbrella including a top body portion formed of a plurality of flexlble sections.

interconnected by contiguous integral flanges disposed at substantially right angles to the top when spread, said flanges having portions of their outer edges substantially parallel to the top portion and other portions angularly related thereto.

2. An umbrella including a top body portion formed of a plurality of flexible sections having marginal contiguous flanges connected to form multiple ply reinforcing members and lying at right angles to the plane of the top, a portion of each of said reinforcing members being recessed to give them a tapering form toward the top adjacent the medial portion thereof.

3. A blank forming a section of a folding umbrella including a substantially rectangular flexible sheet having notched margins, said sheet being folded upon itself along its longitudinal axis and being provided with gummed areas adjacent to said notched mar- 4. A blank forming a section of a folding umbrella including a substantially rectangular flexible sheet having notched mar 'ns, said sheet being folded upon itself a ong its longitudinal axis and gummed areas adjacent the margins of said sheet, said areas being relatively narrowstrips of adhesive toward the ends of the sheet and at the medial portion extendin from the margins thereof to said longitudinal fold, said sheet bein foldable along the inner margins of sai gummed areas.

5. An umbrella including a top body portion and integral radial reinforclng portlons constructed of a'plurality of substantially plane pieces of material, the outer edges of reinforcing portions being tapered from the WILLIAM S. TIMBLIN. 

